Sports

Sixmilebridge 0-18 Crusheen 1-13 A memorable year for Sixmilebridge senior hurlers concluded at Shannon on a sunny November afternoon with victory over Crusheen in the Clare Champion cup, senior hurling league, final. The merited win saw the Bridge complete the senior double as they had earlier won the championship title (Canon Hamilton trophy) while the win also saw the side go through the domestic season without suffering a defeat. They concluded their memorable season in front of new Clare senior hurling coach Donal Og Cusack who attended the game in the company of team manager Davy Fitzgerald from Sixmilebridge. [doptg id=”84″] This was the third meeting of these sides in competitive action this season and the Bridge emerged victorious on all occasions. In bright sunny conditions Sixmilebridge took an early lead with points from Niall Gilligan and Jamie Shanahan before Pat Vaughan opened Crusheen’s account in the third minute. A minute later Crusheen pounced when Derek Fahy’s attempted short puckout …

Donal Og Cusack from Cork is the new coach to the Clare senior hurling team. In a statement issued this Bank holiday Monday, the former Cork custodian has been named as coach selector in Davy Fitzgerald’s management team for 2016. A winner of minor, under 21 and three All-Ireland senior medals, five Munster senior medals and two All-Star awards as goalkeeper the Cloyne man has been a member of the RTE Sunday Game panel for the past two seasons. During the Cork senior hurlers strike action a few season’s back, Cusack was one of the chief spokesmen for the players Another new member of the backroom team is Jimmy Payne from Waterford who is to be a strength and conditioning coach along with Kelvin Harold who is employed full time by Clare GAA. He worked with Fitzgerald during the Sixmilebridge man’s tenure as Waterford senior hurling team manager. He has also held the role of Strength and Conditioning Coach with …

Na Piarsaigh, Limerick 3-11 Sixmilebridge 1-15 Sixmilebridge’s dream of progressing to the latter stages of the Munster senior club hurling championship were shattered at their own O’Garney park this Sunday afternoon. Despite being ahead by nine points at half time, the Clare champions suffered their first competitive defeat of the season when going under to their Shannonside neighbours. Playing with the aid of a strong wind in the first half, the home side built up a nine point lead, 1-12 to 1-3 by half time but they struggled throughout the second half. A haul of 1-6 in a nine minute spell at the start of the second quarter saw the Clare champions build up a good lead. The goal scorer was Cathal Malone who was put through by Shane Golden. A storming third quarter from Na Piarsaigh proved decisive in this tie. Kevin Downes goaled two minutes after the resumption and he provided the pass from which Peter Casey found …

Wolfe Tones 4-12 Kilmoyley, Kerry 2-6 Clare champions WolfeTones booked a Munster intermediate hurling championship semi-final date with Bruree from Limerick when they proved too strong for Kerry senior champions, Kilmoyley at Sixmilebridge on Saturday afternoon. The winners dominated throughout Ssturday’s tie and were two goals clear inside the opening ten minutes after Aaron Shanagher and Declan O’Rourke had found the net. Shanagher goaled in the tenth minute and O’Rourke’s major came three minutes later when his strike from 60m slipped through the hand of visiting goalie Aidan McCabe. At half time they were 3-8 to 1-4 ahead, the third goal coming from team captain Aaron Cunningham just before the short whistle. Clare senior panelist Cunningham also scored the fourth goal when he converted a penalty awarded against visiting full back Sean Dowling who earned a straight red card for his tackle on Cunningham. Kilmoyley finished the game with thirteen players after Tom Murnane picked up a second yellow a …

THIS Saturday night in the Stella Maris Hotel, St Senan’s GAA Club, Kilkee will host a tribute night to John Lynch. Originally from Moveen, the now retired Kilkee club secretary filled that role for 41 years from 1971. This week, The Clare Champion met with John, who still sells club lotto tickets 52 weeks of the year. He was joined by his successor Diarmuid Keane, club chairman Christy Kirwan and three-time championship winner Noel Roche, who also represented Ireland in the Compromise Rules in the 1980s. Their admiration and respect for John was clear as they listened to him reflect on more than four decades at the epicentre of Kilkee GAA. “I came into town in 1961 and met my life partner, Mary. We married in ’61. I was working as a tradesman and I was thankful to the people of the parish for giving me the work. I didn’t have to emigrate,” John explained. A former O’Curry’s footballer, it …

THE absence of the Kilrush Sports Complex from the list of 27 sport organisations or council facilities in Clare to receive a portion of the countywide €1.27 million Sports Capital Grants has sparked controversy. Local independent councillor, Ian Lynch claims that because Kilrush is a DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) area and in need of facilities for teenagers, the application should have been prioritised. The Clare County Council-operated Kilrush Sports Complex, which includes an AstroTurf pitch, was officially opened on April 9 of this year. Councillor Lynch says “a very comprehensive application” was submitted by the Kilrush Sports Complex management committee for critical funding. The biggest individual beneficiary from the Sports Capital Grants in Clare was the council-run Active Ennis Sports and Amenity Park in Lees Road, which has received €200,000 in funding. “I am extremely disappointed and angry. West Clare is crying out for facilities for our youth. This allocation of funding will see some areas develop, …

Miltown St. Josephs 0-13 Cooraclare 0-9 Miltown St. Josephs bridged a twenty five year gap at Cusack Park in Ennis earlier today when they captured the Clare senior football championship title for the thirteenth time. In one of the better finals for some time, they deservingly overcame the challenge of their neighbours Cooraclare which led to County GAA chairman Michael McDonagh, a member of the Miltown club, presenting the Jack Daly cup to the running captain, Brian Curtin, amidst great scenes of celebration [doptg id=”83″] The winners made a blistering start racing into a 0-3 to 0-0 lead after just four minutes with points from Eoin Cleary, Darragh McDonagh and man of the match Kevin Keavey. Points from Rory Donnelly and Pierce Lillis lifted Cooraclare spirits and from here to half time it was evenly fought with Miltown taking a two point advantage to the break when the score was 0-8 tgo 0-6. Cooraclare had the better of matters in …

THE 2015 Clare Senior Football Championship final has the potential to be one of the most intriguing for many years. Miltown haven’t seen Jack Daly for 25 long seasons, while Cooraclare’s memories of their last win in 1997 are also fading into the mists of time. This year’s final has a fresh look to it simply because it has been so long since either club were in one and because there are players on both sides who have more than paid their dues to their clubs and, indeed, to Clare football. Nobody necessarily deserves anything but it is fair to say that a cohort of players on both panels have more than earned their county final day experience. So who will win it and why? Based on their respective semi-final performances, Cooraclare should start as clear favourites. Of course, that doesn’t mean that they will win it. While their semi-final display against Clondegad was not flawless, they played the game …